Since technology is everywhere, parents are finding that they need to update their own skills in order to monitor what children are doing in the social networking world. Parents have joined sites such as Facebook to monitor their children. On these sites teens may reveal information and act differently than they would in a different environment. They need to be aware of the risks associated with disclosing personal information on these sites as there are predators who seek out teens specifically. A good example is seen on the program “To catch a predator” where men lure teens as young as twelve and thirteen.
It is important for parents to learn how to navigate the internet and teach their children online safety. There are also simple ways parents can monitor online use, put passwords on computers, block searches that include key words that may be inappropriate using special filtering software. Computers should also be kept in a family area and the child should not be encouraged to use the computer in areas such as the bedroom or an area where they cannot be easily monitored. Teens should also be taught how to protect themselves by restricting access to their page, place settings on private and avoiding the use of private chat rooms. I have included a few websites with additional information on safety tips for parents and children.
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